Off – Road Trip to Kudajadri, Karnataka
Kodachadri is a mountain peak with dense forests (elevation – 1,343 metres above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Shivamogga Dist., Karnataka State). It is declared as natural heritage site by Government Karnataka and it is 10th highest peak of Karnataka.
Kodachadri is not a deserted hill like choma kunda. It is a tourist spot popular with pilgrims to Kollur. Adi Shankaracharya, the second most famous cross-country traveller in ancient Indian history had been here and established a tiny temple on the top of the hill somewhere.
So how do these pilgrims reach the top? Using the Jeeps of course. But here is the catch. None of these Jeeps are 4WD. The Jeep Taxi fleet of Kodachadri is entirely made of aging commander 650 & 750 Jeeps, that can hold 9-10 people. They fill the Jeep to the brim and then rip it at high speed in 2WD all the way to the top. They come down the same way. It is a tortuous journey for the passengers, who are churned like butter all the way thanks to the highspeed ride over the bumpy mud trail. Generally, they don’t like outsiders coming in their own vehicles. But our seriously equipped Jeeps drew lots of attention and admiration from the Jeep Taxi community.
The name comes from native word “Kodacha” or “Kodashi” which means hill of Kutaja flowers and “Adri” a Sanskrit word, both combined together coined the word Kodachadri. Kutaja in Sanskrit means Girimallika or Jasmine of the hill. The hilly region that is full of ‘Jasmine of the hills’ plants is “Kutajagiri”. It is also called “Kutachadri” and “Kodashi Parvatha”.
The Shola Forests and thick forest cover Kodachadri and the nearby hills and the place has a cool and beautiful landscape. The forest of Kodachadri and nearby hills is tropical rain forest seen along with Western Ghats, a World Heritage site.
